A global trade war, spurred by U.S. President Donald Trump’s protectionist policies, could weaken global demand for base metals, zinc in particular, this according Brandon MacDonald, CEO of Fireweed Zinc. “Every base metals is going to be vulnerable to a weak global economy, that’s how base metals operate, so if a trade war breaks out and it has a diminishing effect on galvanized steel consumption, then it’s going to be difficult for zinc,” MacDonald told Kitco News on the sidelines of the Yukon Mining Investment Conference in Dawson City. MacDonald added that there is a real threat to Chinese zinc production owing to intensifying regulatory scrutiny. China is currently the world’s largest zinc producer, but there are many small mines that would not survive high grade regulation, said MacDonald.
